Telephone-sheath.



O. W. MESSIMBR.

TELEPHONE SHE-ATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1912.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

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ONSLOW WOOTTEN MESSIMEB, OF NEW YDRK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE \NI-IITE KNIGHT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TELEPHONE-SHEATH.

Application filed May 4, 1912.

To all whom it may concern,-

Be it known that l, ONSLOW lVoorrnn Mnssnunn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-sheaths, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to a novel means for incasing a telephone, particularly of the ordinary type as hereinafter described and illustrated for the double purpose of utility and ornament as will be fully set forth or understood. This novel device I term a telephone sheath.

The invention consists in the novel sheath and the parts thereof and combination of such parts and other features as hereinafter shown and described. Generally speaking this improved article may be described so far as the present improvement goes, as a removable sheath for a telephone transmitter, the same constructed of pigskin or other leather or like material, and comprising two combined portions, namely a substantially cylindrical portion constructed to incase the transmitter post and provided with a line of fastenings for closing it thereabout and having an aperture at the position of the telephone-receiver-arm; and a second portion of inverted dish shape, constructed to incase the transmitter base, and centrally apertured to surround the transmitter post, and provided with a line of fastenings from said central aperture to the margin for closing it about the base.

I will first describe several forms in which my improvement may be embodied and will then point out the novel features in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, Figure 1 represents a rear view of an ordinary desk telephone of the type in use by principal telephone companies. Fig. 2 represents the cylindrical portion of a sheath embodying my improvement, the same being developed or rolled out flat for the purpose of illustration. Fig. 3 represents the sheath portion for the telephone base shown in perspective. Fig. i is a view similar to Fig. 1, but wherein the telephone is shown as incased in the two-part sheath Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 695,269.

illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a top view partly in section taken on the plane 5-5 of Fig. 4:. The above referred to Figs. 1 to illustrate the preferred embodiment or modification of my improvement. A second form or modification is partly illustrated in elevation in Fig. 6. A third form or modification is illustrated in elevation in Fig. 7, the detached cylindrical portion being shown in developed form in Fig. 8. Fig. 9 represents a fourth embodiment or form of my improvement.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to the standard telephone as shown in Fig. 1, it comprises as parts of the transmitter the post A, the base B, a distinct upper flange G terminating the cylindrical post A and the connector cords D issuing from an opening on the side of the base. On one side near the top of the post A is an opening removed a partial circumference from the connector cord opening, and the receiver arm E issues therefrom to where the receiver F is supported. The re ceiver has an upper shoulder or flange G and a lower flange or collar H which will be hereinafter referred to.

There are certain difficulties in making an entirely suitable and satisfactory sheath for an instrument of this kind. It is a working, active instrument of some delicacy and of accuracy of operation, which produces conditions that have to be met. I will refer to some of the desiderata of a proper sheathing therefor.

lhe sheathing should not only be useful as regards giving a better hand hold and obviating contact with metal, but should be ornamental. It should be easily adjusted to position, since its purpose is not to be sold with a telephone, but to be procured and adjusted by the purchasing public. When adjusted to position, it should be easily closed and secured so that its application will not be a time-consuming undertaking.

The sheath should be so constructed and fitted as to be tight in its position and free from slippage. It should be simple and attractive in outline without undue irregularity or disfigurement. It should cover both the transmitter post and base in a substantially single sheath, adding to its efficiency and to harmony of appearance.

It is very important that the sheath should not interfere with the ordinary use of the telephone which involves the picking up and laying down of the transmitter and also the upward and downward swinging of the receiver arm. It should permit easy inspection by telephone company inspectors and Without removing the sheath. Part of such inspection is beneath the base,.part with respect to the receiver arm and part the transmitter mechanism. Moreover the sheath should be easily openable or removable, not only for necessary repair and cleaning of the instrument, but also for cleansing of the sheath itself when it shall become soiled in use.

In construction, in simplicity of manufacture, in lowness of cost and in other respects the sheath should be practical as an article of manufacture and salable.

It is the object of the present improvement to attain all of the above recited desiderata and I believe that I have successfully done so by the invention herein described and claimed. Owing I believe to the difiiculties involved, there has not to my knowledge been any successful attempt heretofore to produce a sheath capable of the service above set forth.

It should be here noted that I propose in addition to the specificimprovement hereinafter described and claimed, to provide also a cone-like removable sheath for the receiver F, constructed to snugly incase the body thereof and to be positively held in place by the upper and lower flanges G and H; but I do not claim the same herein and reserve it for separate application.

Referring now first to the preferred modification shown in Figs. 2, 3, A and 5, it may be said to comprise in combination two cooperating portions, the cylindrical portion I and the inverted dish-shaped portion J. In this modification said two portions are ununited or separable, although they cooperate by one looking the other in place as will be hereinbelow described.

The cylindrical portion I, as will be seen from Fig. 2, is easily constructed from a sheet of fiat material cut in the form shown, so that it may be caused to snugly incase the post A of the transmitter. Said portion I has a line of attachable fastenings conveniently shown for example as consisting of a series of snap fasteners, the ballmembers K of which extend along one margin, and the socket members L along the other margin, as indicated. When in place said portion I is provided with an aperture at the position of the telephone-receiver-arm E, said aperture appearing in Fig. 2 as notches M, M upon the margin or along the line of attachments.

The total height or the length of the cylindrical portion I is so calculated that said portion will be positively held between the upper flange C above and the base B below the transmitter post A.

Referring next to the inverted dish portion J, it by its form is adapted to properly incase the transmitter base J is centrally apertured at N'to surround the transmitter post and incidentally also to surround the cylindrical portion I as will be below described. Said portion J also has a, preferably radial, line of fastenings 0 consisting preferably of detachable snap fasteners, the socket members of which are visible in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. This line of fastenings extends from the central aperture N to the margin of the dish-shaped portion for closing it about the base of the transmitter. Said portion J also has an aperture at P for the connector cords D, said aperture being located as shown upon the line of attachments 0. The inverted dish-shaped portion J may be constructed of two pieces of leather, the lower one a mere narrow strip Q united by sewing or otherwise to the remainder. As shown said portion J is not closed beneath but on the contrary is open so that the transmitter rests upon its own felt covered base, said base therein being accessible for inspection, etc.

As before stated the relation of the two portions I and J is that while separable from each other they are constructed so that one looks the other in place. Thus for example, the cylindrical portion I may have a slight flange indicated at It in Fig. 2 which underlies the edge of the member J surrounding the central aperture N of the latter. It will also be seen in Fig. A that the lowermost socket member L is so located as to contact the portion J and prevent its upward movement from normal position. Thus the two members I and J are mutually locked against relative movement in either direction.

As it may not be satisfactory in all cases to have the members I and J separable and merely held in locked relation, I have pro vided several expedients enabling them to be permanently mutually united. Thus referring to the modification of Fig. 6, this is substantially the same as that of Figs. 2, 3 and 4E, excepting that the two portions I and J are permanently mutually united for a major portion of their meeting circumference. This is effected for example by a line of stitching S shown extending threequarters way around the circumference, the two members I and J being ununited for the remaining quarter. This ununited quarter of the circumference is the portion which lies between the position of the line of fastenings of portion I and the position of the lineof fastenings of portion J. By

D. Said portion this expedient, as clearly indicated in Fig. 6, the article while constituting a unitary whole, is easily applied to and removed from the transmitter.

A similar result is obtained by the different expedient illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. In this modification, the cylindrical member is formed in the flat, of a rhomboidal shape as indicated at T Fig. 8, this giving an inclined fastening line U, Fig. 7, which enables the receiver arm aperture to be located on said fastening line and also enables the lower end of said fastening line to register with the fastening line 0 of the portion J. With such arrangement the cylindrical portion and inverted dish portion will be permanently united throughout their meeting circumference as by a line of stitches V.

A similar result is accomplished in a diffcrent manner in the modification of Fig. 9 wherein the inverted dish portion J is thrown around a quarter turn relatively to its position seen in Fig. 4:, thus bringing its fastening line 0 in register with the vertical fastening line L of portion 1, enabling the two as before to be permanently united by a line of stitching vV throughout their entire meeting circumference. In this modification provision is made for the connector cords D by a separate openable and closable aperture at X, it being connected by a slit with the margin, as shown, and preferably having one or more fastenings Y, for example snap fasteners, for closing the aperture X after the portion J and the connecting cords are in place.

By the above described structure I have attained the objects and advantages already set forth, and other advantages will be obvious to those familiar with the subject.

Since my improvement is obviously capable of modification in many ways within the broad principles thereof, 1 do not wish to be limited to any of the details shown excepting as the same may be set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A sheath of leather or like flexible material adapted for attachment to and detachment from a telephone transmitter, the same having the upright post-incasing portion I which is provided with a longitudinal row of fastenings and with an aperture upon said line of fastenings for reception of the receiver arm, together with an inverted dish-shaped base-incasing portion J provided with a central aperture and with a line of fastenings from such aperture to its margin; said post-incasing portion being of such length as to be positively held against vertical displacement by abutment at its upper and lower ends, and said baseincasing portion being locked from rising by engagement by said post-incasing portion.

2. A sheath of leather or like flexible material adapted for attachment to and detachment from a telephone transmitter, the same having the upright post-incasing portion I which is provided with a longitudinal row of fastenings and with an aperture upon said line of fastenings for reception of the receiver arm, together with an inverted dish-shaped base-incasing portion J provided with a central aperture and with a line of fastenings from such aperture to its margin; said post-incasing portion being of such length as to be positively held against vertical displacement by abutment at its upper and lower ends, and said baseincasing portion being permanently united to said post-incasing portion for a portion only of their meeting circumference, and ununited between their respective lines of fastenings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ONSLOW WOOTTEN MESSIMER- Witnesses:

ELIZABETH B. KING, ERNEST D. CoNDrr.

tlopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

